Switching international allegiance

[tomtheblade]

I completely agree Tom, it would be great if the majority of football fans got together to try to get this minority banned from following the national side however reality is most people just think, 'oh that's too hard...I can't be bothered with it anymore'. Following international football for most is just something to do for when your club side is not playing so its not a big thing to give away.

I'd love to do something about the casual ingrained racism towards aboriginal Australians I hear from someone almost every week...but other than signing a few petitions & not voting right wing, there's not a great deal I can do to change the views of millions of people.

Yeah it's difficult. I think the best way ultimately is just to show up and be a positive, passionate supporter for the right reasons, and demonstrate that people from all backgrounds are welcome in the game. Sadly it's often those who are the most obnoxious who shout loudest, and perhaps therefore give the impression they're a bigger proportion of the fan base than is actually the case.

Thousands of people attend the world cup and the actual number of troublemakers is very small compared to the amount overall. That doesn't mean that we can't do more though, and should always make our voices heard against them.

 

[goatherder]

It was made easy for me... I switched my international football allegiance from England to Australia when I made Australia my home & I stopped going to the cricket when I moved away from a major city, so I don't have to deal with those drunken nationalist idiots there anymore.

I live too far away from Honduras & Sydney so won't be at either WC qualifiers for the Socceroos (terrible name) next week but will be a positive, passionate supporter from the couch in my living room. Hopefully we'll get to Russia & be drawn against England...now that would be good.

 

[BushBlade]

I hear this as a very common reason for many who have been turned off of supporting England. They have no desire to be associated in any way with hooligans or right-wing nationalist, racist thugs.

Whilst I completely understand the sentiment, and share it, I see no reason to simply hand over institutions such as the English national side to people who don't deserve to be involved in any way whatsoever.

If, the minute a racist minority emerges (and I believe it is a minority), we simply throw our hands up and say that's it, i'm no longer following the side, then we basically make the situation worse, imo. I think we should push them out rather than admit defeat and distance ourselves. If people are tired of supporting England because they're shit then i completely understand, but I don't think this a productive alternative reason for giving up.

It's not a new thing though. It was just as bad in the eighties, possibly worse. England seems to attract the dregs of the country. And some decent people too.